Botanical Heights restaurant closes

The owner says he's unsure of what the future holds for the Good Fortune idea, but it could include future pop ups.

Author:
By Veneta Rizvic – Reporter , St. Louis Business Journal

Published:
3:48 PM CST February 18, 2019

Updated:
3:57 PM CST February 18, 2019

Good Fortune is no more.

Corey Smale announced on social media that Good Fortune, the Chinese restaurant he opened last April with Chef Ryan McDonald in Botanical Heights, has closed its doors. "There's no restaurant anymore," Smale said in a podcast. "We're closed."

He added that the restaurant was weighing on his mental health, something he plans to work on following its closure.

"A couple of months ago, the restaurant started getting really, really stressful," he said. "I knew things were going to change. We weren't doing what we thought."

In January, Good Fortune rebranded its menu and began offering Chinese American bites, baos and bowls. McDonald left the restaurant at that time to focus on his personal life.

Smale left Strange Donuts in 2016 and partnered with McDonald for Good Fortune. Ben Poremba, owner of local restaurants Elaia and Olio, owns the property where the restaurant is located.

The 1,500-square-foot Good Fortune space was transformed to include raw Missouri black walnut and stone, low lighting and dark neutral tones. Architect Gabe McKee of V Three Studios worked on the space. There were 16 employees at the restaurant when it first opened.